Monday, March 29, 2010

As readers of this site may know, I am not the biggest fan when it comes to PvE. I don't mind it once in a while, but eventually I just get bored. Over the weekend, I actually had some fun doing some PvE. The difference was that I did it my way.

Often times it seems players are guilty of expecting a game to change to fit their needs, I know I am. I've written about wanting WAR to make everything from PvE available through PvP. While this is still something I'd love to see, sitting back and waiting for it won't do me any good. It's time I took the initiative and make the best out of the situation.

The Land of the Dead is full of nice equipment, but nearly all of it is obtained through PvE. The Tomb of the Vulture Lord has some of the best gear in the game but I happen to not be a big fan of dungeons. At this point of my life, sitting at the computer for 3+ hours during my free time is just not likely to happen.

On my shopping list for the Land of the Dead are Silver Ankhs, Gold Scarabs and Gold coins. I wouldn't mind some random drops either, so ToVL looked like a good place to start. As I mentioned above, I don't really want to do a full run of the place. Luckily, I belong to a nice and active guild.

I figure all I really need to do is the first 2 bosses. At the very least it will score me 2 Silver Ankhs. If I'm lucky I can get a Golden Cartouche (worth 5 Silver Ankhs) and maybe even a Tyrant drop. I put out the word of the mini-ToVL run and actually got a bunch of interest. It seems I am not alone in wanting PvE in bite sizes.

The four of us from the guild were joined by two alliance members. The run took an hour and went very smooth. By the end of it, I was still having fun and it wasn't 2am. A few people in the group actually received some upgrades too. I got a rock...

I did get the 2 ankhs, so that means I am only 4 away from getting my 2-piece jewelery set. The 2nd boss is where the money is. You gather as much treasure as you can before the boss comes alive, then after the fight it turns into items you can sell for gold or a piece of Primeval gear. While I didn't get a drop, I did make ~20g and received a helmet. I hope to get another 15g from its sale.

It was a fun night, especially since it only took a hour. I am hoping to make this a weekly event and add in the 3rd boss (rather than the 2nd) once in a while and maybe Lost Vale sometimes. Doing it this way means I won't see the later bosses, but that's fine with me. This way is fun, and that's what games are for.